Video transcript

In this commercial, we open on a small family gathering as the family rush inside from outdoors to escape the rain. It’s a Sunday roast with a Mum, a Gran with her mid-to-late 20’s grandson and her thirty-year-old granddaughter, her husband and daughter. It’s a regular family. You can sense the respect they have for their old gran and tell that she cherishes their relationship.

Once inside, the family starts to enjoy the meal. The mother pours a couple of glasses of wine for the family, but Peter refuses.

We hear him say:Ah, no, I’m gonna drive Gran.

We quickly cut to the car and hear them having a natural conversation.

As he drives off down the street, we see two police cars ahead with a drug testing setup. An officer waves him into the testing area.

The ad jumps time and we now see the Police Officer returning to the car. We hear her say: Sir,you’ve tested positive to illicit drugs, can you step out of the car please?

Peter looks at his grandmother. The expression on her face is one of confusion and perhaps a little fear. She just doesn’t get what’s happening.

We hear a voice over say: Drugs can remain in your system long after the night’s over.

We see Peter get into the police car and cut back to his gran in the car.

We cut to black and the words: MORE DRUG TESTS, MORE PLACES, MORE OFTEN. appear on screen, along with the TAC, Toward Zero and Vic Government logos.

More drug tests, more places, more often.

Drug driving is a serious road safety issue. In the last five years approximately 41% of all drivers and motorcyclists killed who were tested, had drugs in their system, with cannabis and stimulants the most common substances detected. One in four Victorians who use drugs admit to driving under the influence of recreational drugs.

The number of drug tests conducted by Victoria Police has increased from 40,000 tests in 2014 to 100,000 tests in 2017. Tests are not only conducted via booze/ drug buses but from marked and unmarked patrol cars, police motorcycles and mobile intercepts.

Like alcohol, many drugs reduce a driver's ability to have full control of a motor vehicle. Drugs have different and profound effects on a person's mood and behaviour depending on the type of drug involved.

Safe driving requires:

alertness

clear vision

physical coordination

quick reactions

the ability to make the right decisions under pressure

We have listed below some illegal drugs and their effect on driving:

Cannabis - can slow down a person's reaction time, distort perception of speed and distance and reduce concentration and coordination when driving.

Heroin - users usually will be drowsy for several hours; mental function is clouded; heart function slows; and breathing is also severely slowed, sometimes enough to be life-threatening. Spatial awareness and cognitive impairment can impact the driver’s ability to perform the complex task of driving.

Methamphetamine (ICE), ecstasy, cocaine - can lead to over-confidence, rash decision making and risk taking. Insomnia caused from ICE and cocaine use can affect a driver's reflex and concentration.

Hallucinogens - affect hearing and sight as well as the perception of time, distance and movement, and they can make a person sense things that don't exist.

Multiple drug use - using a combination of drugs can lead to extreme and varied effects such as dramatically slowed reaction times, visual distortion, inability to judge speeds and distances, and risk taking.

Q. Where/ when can we expect to see Victoria Police enforcing drug driving?

A. Victoria Police will be targeting illegal behaviours on the roads across metro and regional Victoria on any given time or day of the week. Victoria Police presence may not always be overtly visible, operating from unmarked police cars as well as marked vehicles.

Q. Is there anywhere the public can get information on how long illicit substances remain in your system?

A. The best place to find up-to-date information in the Alcohol & Drug Foundation website. Here you will find the answers to most drug-related questions, including how police can also test for impairment.

Q. How long after taking an illicit drug will you provide a negative result?

A. This is dependent on the person, much like alcohol, people metabolise substances at different rates. It is impossible to say with any accuracy how long a drug remains in a person’s system, we can only provide a guide. For more information please visit the Alcohol & Drug Foundation website.

Q. Will you get a positive result if someone nearby is smoking cannabis (second hand smoke)?

A. This is highly unlikely. The test uses a saliva sample, so the probability of second hand smoke affecting a saliva sample is low.

Q. "Drugs can remain in your system long after the night is over." Does that mean some drivers will return a positive reading even though they are no longer under the influence of these substances?

A. While the driver may no longer feel the effect of the drug, or feel impaired, the drug may still be present in their system. For example, someone who takes an illicit drug could feel the high for a few hours, and then ‘come down’ quite some time later and feel drowsy. This is a side-effect of the drugs leaving their system after the high and is still impairing their ability to drive safely.

Q. Why isn't the law built around people only being under the influence of drugs rather than drugs still being in a person's system?

A. Taking illicit drugs is an illegal act and people often are not in the right state of mind to be making good judgments about their own levels of impairment when under the influence of drugs.

There are different sections of the law to deal with both of these scenarios:

Exceed PCD (oral fluid).This offence is when the oral fluid sample of a driver simply contains this illicit substance. This results in 3-month suspension for a first offence.

A: If you have taken prescription medication, whether legally or illegally, you should be aware of the potential risks while driving. If you are feeling drowsy, aggressive, dizzy, nauseous, light-headed or shaky, it can be dangerous to drive as this may for instance impair your vision.